Growing hops in southern california

[steloco]

Welcome everyone, especially those of you from California!
I wanted to start this thread so that those of us in California can specifically keep track of how other peoples plants are doing close by. It is nice checking out the 2013 etc threads to see how everyones plants are doing all over the world but I think it would be even more usefull to those of us that actually live in California so we can see how other peoples plants are doing with the same enviornment. We can all compare pictures, too see what strains are doing better specifically and which are not.
I have 25 Zeus, 25 Horizon, 25 Centennial, 25 Cascade and I will be posting pictures of these as they grow.
So lets compare pictures and notes to improve eachothers grow by learning from one anothers differences.

 

[NCSDhops]

First year Willamette, taken a few weeks ago. Only in the ground 2 weeks at the time.

 

[brewerelated]

@NCSD how tall is your plant right now? Got any new pictures? My hops are not doing as well as yours. I planted mine in late march and as of today it is as tall as the one you have pictured above.

I am growing a Centennial. I think I put it in an area where it wasn't getting enough sun, so I dug it back up and put it in a pot and moved it to where it is getting full sun now.

It also had some aphids on it so that didn't help either. I sprayed it with neem oil which is good for getting rid of aphids, but neem oil can sometimes cause your plants to overheat and get scorched so that also hurt my plant. The bottom 3 sets of leaves are now scorched and somewhat brown. With that said the plant is still growing, albeit slowly.

I am hoping that the slow growth is related to it trying to establish a better root system. I hope that it will soon start growing faster.

 

[brewerelated]

Welcome everyone, especially those of you from California!
I wanted to start this thread so that those of us in California can specifically keep track of how other peoples plants are doing close by. It is nice checking out the 2013 etc threads to see how everyones plants are doing all over the world but I think it would be even more usefull to those of us that actually live in California so we can see how other peoples plants are doing with the same enviornment. We can all compare pictures, too see what strains are doing better specifically and which are not.
I have 25 Zeus, 25 Horizon, 25 Centennial, 25 Cascade and I will be posting pictures of these as they grow.
So lets compare pictures and notes to improve eachothers grow by learning from one anothers differences.

Do most of your plants have multiple bines at this point or would you say most of them do not. I have one plant and it only has one bine at this point. A second bine was forming, but it scorched by the sun on a very hot day, so now I only have one bine. No other bines have come up yet.

My plant has been in the ground since the end of March. Seems to be growing very slowly. Mine is a centennial. Perhaps I should have went with cascade or nugget. I heard those grow quickly and have high yields. I went with centennial because I like the flavor.

 

[NCSDhops]

Here is that same Willamette plant yesterday. In all fairness this plant was one of the standouts. It had a quick start but seems to be slowing a bit. I wouldn't worry too much about the first year green growth, the plants mostly focused on root growth. I definitely have a few plants that are still only 12 inches tall.

 

[jperry]

I have two different spots for hops. One in the ground, and the other, is a raised bed planter(6ftx2ftx2ft). My planter hops are sprouting faster than the ones in ground... Here are my Chinook plants. First plant is a crown from GLH, and my other 4 chinook, are propagated from that crown last year. The chinook plants, in the pots, seem to be doing better, so far.

 

[jperry]

I have also added a few new varieties this year, which include Horizon, Cascade, and Centennial. Cascade is the Standout, growing to 2-3ft. already. Horizon has a bunch of shoots, that are very short and bunched up. Centennial was doing great, then all of a sudden the tips of the shoots started drying out and crumpling. The only bine left, was snapped at the base or chewed by a f'ing cutworm. I live close to SANTEE, and EL CAJON, but i'm located in the SAN CARLOS area.

 

[brewerelated]

@jperry Your hops look pretty good. I am embarrassed to post pictures of mine. It does not look very good. I just hope that they survive and come up again next year. If it can make it through this current growing season plus the winter then I should be good. I expect the first year would be the most difficult year.

 

[jperry]

@jperry Your hops look pretty good. I am embarrassed to post pictures of mine. It does not look very good. I just hope that they survive and come up again next year. If it can make it through this current growing season plus the winter then I should be good. I expect the first year would be the most difficult year.

Don't be embarrassed, most of my sprouts are less than a couple inches tall. I am seeing gigantic flowering plants all over the 2013 hop growing forum. I figured I would show how mine are doing, in the same zone. 2 of my oldest crowns haven't even sprouted yet. I seem to have better luck with my younger, potted plants for some reason.

 

[Carlscan26]

Here are mine - need to measure them but the cascade is on the left and has to be approaching 3 feet. The shorter one is a centennial. These pics are about four days old. The cascade has three bines but the centennial only has two and one hasn't made it to the twine yet. These were planted mid April. First year. Were in the Tierra Santa neighborhood of San Diego.

 

[NCSDhops]

Here's a shot that gives you an idea of whats going on "behind the scenes". This is a first year Cascade at 5 weeks. It has 3 bines, the longest being 18 inches. The root growth is already pretty impressive.

 

[Cromwell]

Thanks for this thread! My plants are kind of slow starting too, and I was a little worried. I'm glad to see that most of us in California don't have 10 foot bines already.
I have 2nd year Santiam, (5 of them) and they look healthy and green, but they're still only about a foot tall. Last year they really shot up in July, so I'm not too worried. I'll post pics when I can.

 

[Blackeydsloth]

I planted on 5/2, had a magnum doing good but died off a new sprout has emerged in its place though not sure if I'm doing something wrong this is my first time growing hops so all new to me. figured was just trying to get more roots with what I have read. Planted Centennial which hasn't sprouted as of yet. Magnum and Nugget my nugget sprout died off that was growing and a new one started well today I took a pic and there is another new sprout that popped out. Here is as of today my Nugget

 

[steloco]

In the first picture,
Towards the back are cascades. (1ft -2.5ft) They were the first out of the ground and about 10/25 got straight mowed over by rats. As you can see they are coming back strong anyways.
The ones that are considerably smaller and towards the back half of the truck are horizon. The horizon only sprouted up a few weeks ago and has recently started exploded. They are short and stalky but are shooting up bines everywhere. I have them in my truck so that I can move it to a more shaded area on a really hot day and so there mobile for when I start putting them in the ground.

In the second picture,
It is just another look at the same plants but in this pic you can see the centennial towards the very back (last two rows). These bines came out of the ground right after the cascades but then seemed to hit a wall with their growth. Actually a lot of the first shoots that came out started dieing and then new growth came up and now they are looking pretty good.

I need to get better pictures but right now its hard because of the different areas they are in currently. I have an area where I started them all that was fenced in, there is a 100 plants total with a few extras of each. All plants have started growing except for about 14 zeus. Zeus has been the hardest one to get to grow and then when it does finally come out of the ground it seems to have a little bit of a hard time before getting situated. So to say the least I am hoping to nurse the Zeus through this first year. I think it was just a plant that focused on its root system first because the bines that do come up are way thicker then any other of my variations. (Cascade(25), Centennial(25), Horizon(25), Zeus(25)).

This whole process from GLH crowns to actual plants has been a long road of getting the trellis and area ready for where these plants are going to be going and also maintaining the plants to make sure they are growing good. I just started last week giving some of the more established plants Humboldt nutrients which I have been very happy with in the past.

This is the thread for my personal grow op.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/first-small-hop-farm-help-please-questions-400725/

 

[Tombraider2]

Root system WOW, Now I know why mine are popping up all over in year 2. A dear hanger, great Idea. I have one not being used, should do that next year.

 

[Carlscan26]

A dear hanger, great Idea. I have one not being used, should do that next year.

You're the first to recognize it - or to say it anyway I got it at harbor freight actually - super cheap. I wondered if any of my neighbors behind me would recognize it for what it is and ask me if I've taken up hunting but no comments yet.

 

[jperry]

Heres an update on my plants... Chinooks are starting to take off, especially one I recently transplanted, into a big pot. The chinook plants in the raised bed are starting to come back too.

 

[jperry]

Centennial (field grade) from GLH, lost its shoots, but they are starting to come back.

 

[jperry]

Cascade (field grade), has been doing well and is training itself up the trellis. Its around 4-5 ft long, at least.

 

[jperry]

Top : Horizon (field grade), just transplanted.
Bottom : Chinook in a small pot, doing well.

 

[Blackeydsloth]

Nugget going slow but picking up pace a bit more in last 3 or 4 days.

 

[brewerelated]

Here are pictures of my Centennial hops. I bought the rhizome on eBay. The rhizome was planted late March.

I first put it in the ground, but it wasn't in a sunny enough location so I moved it to a pot. I then repotted it 2 days ago.

The plant has only one bine growing out of the dirt, but there are more bine/side arms growing out of both the first and second leaf node. I read on the internet that growth that comes out of the leaf nodes are sidearms.

There is only one bine sticking out of the dirt. I wonder if this is because I did not plant the rhizome deep enough.

 

[cram]

Here are some pictures from today, the first of June, in Socal. The hops in raised beds are off to an earlier start per usual (they were all cut back to ground in the first week of May). The ones in the ground are just starting to wake up.

For reference, the top of the poles in the closest row of the first picture are 20' above ground--the tallest bines are probably 13' and just starting to throw laterals, should hit the top and beyond by July.

I'm growing Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Nugget, and Tettnanger. The ones pictured are mostly Cascade and Chinook. :rockin:

 

[brewerelated]

@Cram
How tall did your hops get in their first year?

 

[cram]

My trellises are between 15 and 20' and the Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial all reached the top (and some quite a bit beyond) their first year. I do have to water most every day, especially the pots, and I tend to add compost additions or organic 4-4-4 ferts at least once per month with the occasional watering of fish emulsion. I've harvested hops off all the C variety hops the first year. In fact, one of the Chinook pots pictured above are first-year rhizomes that I harvested off a crown and it doesn't look too much different from the established crowns.

The exception has been Tettnanger, which hasn't performed well. I'm stubbornly sticking with them, though, since my mom grew up near Tettnang and picked hops in the fields as a youngster--they're not well suited for my climate, though.

 

[brewerelated]

Thank you for the information. My Centennial seems to be growing pretty slow. I think its less than 2 feet. I planted the rhizome in late March. It is currently growing in a pot. I think it is an 8 gallon pot. I don't water every day because the soil seems moist.

I was afraid of over-watering it and causing the rhizome to rot. Maybe I need to give it more water and/or more fertilizer.

You said you had some growing in pots? How big are your pots?

 

[cram]

My pots are either wine half-barrels or 22-24" pots that I purchased from Costco. It's pretty hard to drown a hop plant in a pot if it's draining well. I drill extra holes in store bought pots to give me peace of mind that a root will not stop up the flow of water. Their water needs are less now than they will be in a month or so. Once they start sending laterals and reach 12-15' and beyond they take up a lot of water and nutrients. The Centennial plants in pots that were divided from a crown of mine are about 10-12' currently; whereas, the ones in the ground are about 1-2'.

Beyond soil volume and nutrients, the big thing is sunlight. There's a clear difference between the yield I have from plants with full sun, southerly exposure versus the ones that are partially shaded during the day. I think part of that is that we live in lower latitudes and have shorter summer days to begin with compared to those further north.

 

[brewerelated]

The Centennial that you have in pots are doing better than the ones you have in the ground? Aren't hops suppose to do better in the ground? What do you think would account for the difference?

 

[cram]

Well, the Centennial plants in pots are not necessarily doing better but they are certainly off to an earlier start.

Apples to apples, hops will do better in the ground if we're talking wide open spaces and comparable soil but there are a lot of other variables at work, too. In my case, my potted Centennials have greater sun exposure than the in-ground ones. But the biggest factor is the competition from nearby trees and shrubs. The root competition is a major limiting factor, which is why some folks shudder at the thought of companion plants with hops since the plants near hops also need water and nutrients, things that the hops could use. Some plants and trees have more of an impact than others it seems, and some release acids that make the environment less desirable for nearby plants like hops. Still, I think there's a huge difference planting something like cilantro (my favorite companion for early season) or marigolds (a aesthetic late-season choice) compared to the competition provided by 40 year-old nearby junipers and trees.

 

[NCSDhops]

1st yr Cascades

 

[jperry]

1st year Cascade, my only plant that is doing really well this year.

 

[brewerelated]

Hello everyone, I know the hop season hasn't really kicked off yet since we are still in winter, but I have some questions about overwintering hops. I have a second year Centennial hop plant that I started last year in an 8 gallon pot.

Are there any special things that you guys do to help them survive the winter? Do most hops make it through the winter okay? In general what is the survival rate of hops?

 

[cram]

Hops are tough to kill--you don't have to do much if anything to them over winter. If there's been a prolonged spell of no rain, which happens here, then I might water them a bit. But let them dry out between. In a potted plant, there's not as big of a chance to drown the thing (as long as water can freely drain out the bottom) but don't over do it. You have to figure that in places where they actually have winters and grow hops, the plant isn't seeing much liquid water during the winter months. Even in Socal, you could likely forget about the plant between November and March and it would be fine.

 

[brewerelated]

It looks like my 2nd year Centennials made it. Here is a picture taken on 2/25/2014.

 

[jperry]

It looks like my 2nd year Centennials made it. Here is a picture taken on 2/25/2014.

That looks exactly identical to my Centennial, right now.

 

[Carlscan26]

Both my cascade and my centennial have popped up. Last year the cascade yielded about 3 oz dry but the centennial never flowered. This year the centennial was the first out.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[brewerelated]

Last year was my first year for the Centennials and I got a small yield. I didn't weigh it so I don't know how much I got but it was enough to fit in both of my hands, so about one big handful.

Both my cascade and my centennial have popped up. Last year the cascade yielded about 3 oz dry but the centennial never flowered. This year the centennial was the first out.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[brewerelated]

Here is an update of some of my hop plants. Many of the smaller plants were started this year from rhizomes that I got from Cram here on HBT.

 

[yakman619]

Hi Gents,
I'm new to the forum; I'm a fellow San Diego Brewer, saw this thread, and figured its not a bad place for my first post conisdering it covers what I'm researching at the moment. I see this post hasn't been active in a year and a half, so I'm half not expecting a response!

I've decided I want to grow hops in my small backyard, and I'm seeing all the online resources that sell rhizomes are on back order (presumably until the spring when hops spring back to life). Do we have a local source here to acquire them?

Thanks in advance. I look forward to participating in the forums!

 

[mozart4898]

Hi Gents,
I'm new to the forum; I'm a fellow San Diego Brewer, saw this thread, and figured its not a bad place for my first post conisdering it covers what I'm researching at the moment. I see this post hasn't been active in a year and a half, so I'm half not expecting a response!

I've decided I want to grow hops in my small backyard, and I'm seeing all the online resources that sell rhizomes are on back order (presumably until the spring when hops spring back to life). Do we have a local source here to acquire them?

Thanks in advance. I look forward to participating in the forums!

I'm not local to you at all, but Great Lakes Hops sells crowns basically year round. I didn't check just now but I would imagine they've got 20+ varieties available this moment. They suggest fall for those of us in colder climates as being a great time to plant (which I'm not 100% sold on after my experience this past year, but that's a different story). I'm sure your fall/winter isn't anything like ours here in the Great Lakes/Midwest so if anything, planting a living crown as opposed to a dormant rhizome might be tricky cause it might just want to start growing on you now!

Additionally, if you order from them, you will sometimes get a freebie crown. One of my hops in the ground right now is actually a freebie from a year and a half ago. Plus, you'll probably not find anyone with a bigger selection - and in theory a crown should get you to a harvest quicker than a rhizome as well.